mickey



(Nb Model.)

s. T. MICKEY.V

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

'Fire Escape.

' Patented Jan. 4,1881.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.) l S. T. MICKEY.

. y Fire Escape l510,236,348.. Patented Jan. 4,1881.

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A alongside Y-with the'sevcral its sides excepting'that side wh ventingthe apparatus from sAMUEL"'r.'-MIoKE-Y, on

PATENT OFFICE.

MOUNT' AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA.

essa-ESCAPE.

sPEc'IFIcATIoN forming-Ratt 0f Letters V tmllliS-ni l l To all whom itmay concern Be itknown that LSAMUEL T. MICKEY,4

a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Mount Airyfinthe county ofSurry and State of North Carolina, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Escapes,of-which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an extension towerlike tire-escape having aninclosed passage from top to bottom, its object being to provide for theextension of an escape-ladder therein simultaneously with the raising ofthe tower for stowing the ladderin convenient position and condition forsubsequent use as the tower is lowered, and to prevent the severaisections from becoming separated `when extended.

.In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improvedfire-escape apparatus sections section taken on a vertical planeindicated by dotted line .fr fr, Fig.,1, the seclions being raised. Fig.3 is a side elevation of one of the sections with the door lowered andextended, and Fig. 4 is a section taken on a vertical plane indicated bythe dotted line y y, Fig. 1.

The letter A refers to a platform for supporting my improved tire-escapeapparatus. This platform is supported by wheels B, and it is otherwiseadapted'to admit of the apparatus beinglrreadily drawn through the ot' acityLuThe lower-outer:; section, 0,-of the series of telescopingsections in this apparatus is secured upon the aforesaid platform A,'andis constructed substantially. in the form of a rectangular box withclosed sides and an open top; or in lieu of'the solid priat'e frame-workmay bee'mployed for all of ich is designed to face the bnilding. Thematerial of which this section is composed is preferably of metal,although a portion ofthe section might be constructed of wood andaportion of' sheet metal, or of wood protected by sheet metel. in orderthat' when the apparatus is drawn up which faces the tire will be closedand made non-combustible, both for the pur-pose of 'pretaking fire andfor shielding persons-ascending or descending within the same fromsmoke, sparks, and

streets of`a burning building/'that side of it- Patent No;

236,348. dated Janna-W4, 1881'.

Haines issuing out from the windows of 'the burning buildings Thesection C'is provided with a door through one of its sides,` so thatpersons may pass in or out thereof. AThe remaining sections D E -F arepreferably constructed in a similar manner to thesection just described,and are arranged to telescope structure may be contracted in compactform, so as to pass through the door ot' the engine- 4house and undertelegrapl1wires, elevated railways, and bridges. The height and Inurnberof these sections will be according tothe height 'to which-it isadjudged necessary to extend 'the apparatus.

The lower section,

persons; andthe upper section, F, has door F', which is hinged at itsbottom edge, so that -after thefappa'ratus has 'eedb'rght alongside of'abuilding l so as to bring the door ot' a level with thel window, of thebuilding to which access is desired, the hinged door of saidtop.;secti0n. can be let down, so as to form a bridge ,between theapparatus and Lthe building.

vided with a movable egitensionfFso that the bridge which will be formedvby the door 'when lowered may be extended with reference to the spacebetween the apparatus and 'the building; and as a convenient means foroperating such extension a cord, F 3, is con- 'nected with the same andpassed around or through suitable guides G, in'such manner that bydrawing the cord in one direction the extension will be moved out, andby drawing upon the cord vin a reverse direction the extension will beretracted. This cord is also to `be utilized for the ing the door,-as'occasion may-require.`

The section() has anges c projecting iuwardly from the tops of" two ofits opposite sides, and under these tlan ges extend a-nges d projectin goutwardly from the bottom edges the upper section ou section has topanges, d, under which take section is also provided with top flanges, e,

lor slidewithin each other, 4in order that the f 6o and thesectionsextended vThis doon is proof two ofthe opposite sides of sectionD,which bottom flanges, e', of section E, and this latter..

C, is .provided withi a door, C',A to admit of the entrance and exit ot'l or such-other portion l'C under which project bottom auges, f, of thetop section, F. The flanges of the severalsections, bytheirinterlocking,'prevent said sections from moving outward too far andbecoming disengaged from each other, and they also act as guides whenthe upper sections are moving.

The devices employed for raising or lowering these telescoping sectionsare as follows:

Within the lower section, C, is arranged a rotary drum, H, which isoperated bya crank,

H', at one of the outer sides of saidl section, and to this drum arefastened twocords or chains, I I, which pass up and over pulleys K,upported in the inner ,walls of section C,

' an 4thence -down to ',a horizontal. bar, L, .se-l

cured in thelower portion of the next upper scction, D. Within the lowerportion ofthe lower section, C, is arranged a. bar,M, from which' twocords, M', pass upward and over pulleys N upon the inner walls of thesection D, and thence down to the lower portionof .the next uppersection, E, where they are secured; 'and V from the lower section,. andthat simultaneously with said movement of the second section D theremaining upper sections will, of necessity, bel raised by reason of thecordconnections between the sections, 1t willl also be seen that buto'ne rotary drain is required t effect thisoperation, and that wheremore telescoping sections are employed than Ihave herein illustratedeach additional section can be made to operate in a similar manner.A A

ln order tovoheck the drum-'from rotating so as to' unwind the cords orchains therefrom after the sections have been raised toa proper height,any suitable stopmechanism lmay be employed-as, for instance, a rod, Q,may be passed through the lower section in such manner that by sliding'`the rod in one direction one o t' its ends will extend out from the saidsection so as to engage the` handle of the drum, or a'ratchet-wheeh maybe secured upon the shaft of the drum and a pawl arranged to engage withthe ratchet.

The means employed for permitting the ascent or thel descent of personsthrough the several telescoping sections consistof ailexvihle,ladtderglt` secnredlit its tn pJmd txrascrossna nar, lt', inthe upper section, F, and connected at its lower end with awindlass, S,located within the-lower portion of the lowest section, C. The shaftofthis windla ss extends through one of the sides of this section, andis provided with a crank-handle, S', by means of which the windlass canbe operated to reel up the ladder upon the windlass. As tho severaltelescoping sectionslare raised.I by the means just described theflexible ladder .will be unreeled from the windlass in proportion to theheight to which the top section of the apparatus is elevated, and when1it is-desired to'retract or lower these sections it will only benecessary tov turn the windlass so as. to reel lup the ladder, a'ndthereby draw down the top section, the remaining sections following, asa matter of course, such movement of the vtop section. It is, of course,understood .that in lowering the section s Athe stop or bralieis takenoff the drum and the latter turned so as to unwind the cords orchains-thereonaand as a means of guarding against thetoovrapid rotationof the drum, which would be occa-I sioned by the weight o f thedescending sec'-l tions upon the cords, a brake-lever, T, is arranged tobe applied to the shaft ofthe drum with such force as may be foundnecessary.

To provide additional means. for steadying the apparatus while in anextendedstate, and also to assist in drawing ldownv the top sectionshouldsuch assistance be rendered necessary, I provide upon the platformA two shafts, U, with -crank handles U', shafts or r trs extend cords Wupto glie, top corners of he upper section of the apparatus. These cordswill be unwound from the shafts as the sections are raised.

From the above it will be readily understood that my improved{ire-escape apparatus canbe readily extended to any desired height, andthat a safe and agreeable passage will bef thereby provided between theground Vand the windows o'rroof of a building. f

This apparatus, while providing lne'aus -for -the escape ofpersons fromthebuilding, is

also especially adapted as a' tiremans ladder, and by providing morethan one of the sectins with the extension-doors access can be easilyhad to different stories ofthe same building while' the apparatusremains in an extended state. Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim is `1. The combination, with the telescoping sections in afire-escape apparatus, of a ilexible ladder connected at vits upper endlwith the top section, and at its lower end attached to a windlassarranged within the `lowest section, substantially as described. A v

2. The combination of the. telescopic sectionsprovided with the top andbottom dan ges, serving as guides and stops, fen Y 1 v said sections onefromv anot er.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

' Y SyT. M ICKEY. Witnesses:

I J. W. SonAUB,

1t. L. HLYMoaE.

.and from these and the devices,

'expressieve f [OOr IIO

